Kossuth Prize

こしゅーとしょう

Hungary's state-sponsored cultural award recognizing outstanding achievements in culture and the arts (Hungarian: Kossuth-díj).

culturearts

Established: 1948
Organizer: State of Hungary (awarded by the President of Hungary since 1990; previously by the Council of Ministers)
Category: General Arts and Media Arts
Selection Method: Recommendation
Target: Professional
Frequency: 1 per year
Status: Active

Description

The Kossuth Prize (Hungarian: Kossuth-díj) is a state-sponsored Hungarian award named after Lajos Kossuth. Established in 1936 by the Hungarian National Assembly, it was originally given for achievements in science, culture and the arts and (historically) for building socialism; since 1963 the scope has been restricted to culture and the arts. It is regarded as one of Hungary's most prestigious cultural honors and is officially awarded by the President of Hungary. The prize historically has multiple recipients in a given year; the recipients list spans many decades (examples include Zoltán Kodály, Annie Fischer, Imre Kertész, László Krasznahorkai and many others).

Prize

Main Prize: Honorary state cultural award (medal/citation and national recognition)

state recognition
medal or official citation
increased national profile

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Nomination	Nominations by cultural institutions, professional bodies or state cultural authorities (specifics not detailed in source)	unknown	Nominees forwarded to selection committee/government bodies
Selection	Selection committee / relevant cultural authorities (composition not specified in source)	unknown	Committee decision submitted to the President's office
Award	President of Hungary (formal awarding authority)	unknown	Winners are officially announced/awarded by the President of Hungary

Nomination

Judges Nominations by cultural institutions, professional bodies or state cultural authorities (specifics not detailed in source)

Pass Rate unknown

Announcement Nominees forwarded to selection committee/government bodies

Selection

Judges Selection committee / relevant cultural authorities (composition not specified in source)

Pass Rate unknown

Announcement Committee decision submitted to the President's office

Award

Judges President of Hungary (formal awarding authority)

Pass Rate unknown

Announcement Winners are officially announced/awarded by the President of Hungary

Criteria

Outstanding personal or group achievement in culture and the arts
Significant contribution to national cultural life
Lifetime achievement or sustained excellence in artistic fields
Historical criterion (prior to 1963: contributions to building socialism) — since 1963: focused on culture and the arts

Application Tips

Dos

Continuously build outstanding achievements in culture and arts fields (since awards are nomination-based, long-term activity records are important)
Publicize and document evaluations and official accomplishments domestically and internationally (often referenced during nominations)
Collaborate with professional organizations or cultural institutions to create nomination opportunities

Don''ts

Think of it as an open call where you can easily apply yourself (mostly nomination/selection process)
Expect to win based solely on a single sensational work (sustained achievements are emphasized)

From Judges

Long-term outstanding artistic contributions and impact on national culture are emphasized
Interdisciplinary or collaborative achievements may also be considered